If you missed the fantastic webinar featuring the Manufacturing Alliance of Communities, fear not, the video is posted below. Special thanks to David Palmer with Advance Michigan for organizing the presentation.

This just in from EPA BFF Tom Murray:USDA is holding a webinar on Monday, March 30 at 1pm Eastern about grant funding and guaranteed loans for renewable energy systems/energy efficiency improvements in rural areas. Check out the Upcoming Events page on this website to get the scoop on the webinar and whether your region may be eligible.

Throughout this past year, we have had tremendous success in advancing interagency and intergovernmental work in support of Registered Apprenticeship and the President’s goal to double the number of apprenticeships by 2020. A recent outcome of this collaboration has been the Federal Resources Playbook for Registered Apprenticeship to help employers start and support their program. We thank you for your support and look forward to continued collaboration. The purpose of this communication is to bring you up-to-date on recent announcements so that you can more effectively share information with your own stakeholders. As many of you know, on December 11, Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez announced the issuance of a $100 million funding opportunity for American Apprenticeship grants. This was the first of several announcements that make this a very exciting time for the Registered Apprenticeship system! During this past month, the White House launched the ApprenticeshipUSA and LEADERs Initiative to encourage employers to create new, and expand existing, Apprenticeship programs to increase the number of high-skill training opportunities available to U.S. workers in support of the President’s State of the Union pledge to “give workers the chance to earn higher-paying jobs even if they don't have a higher education.” Please see the White House Fact Sheet to learn more about the President’s call to action to employers and some of the employers that have already made apprenticeship a focus of their training strategy. The American Apprenticeship Grants announcement has generated significant interest from employers and public partners alike; it marks the single largest Federal investment in apprenticeship history and will serve as a catalyst to scale the apprenticeship model in a number of different industries. These grants will support public-private partnerships that promote the expansion of quality and innovative Registered Apprenticeship programs and will help start efforts to meet the needs of business and expand career opportunities for workers, women, underrepresented populations and young men and women of color, people with disabilities, and veterans. Below, we’ve provided suggested text as well as a number of technical assistance resources to those seeking to create or expand Apprenticeship programs, which now reside on our newly designed website. We very much appreciate your leadership and willingness to participate in our expansion efforts to support the President’s goal to double the number of Apprenticeships in the U.S. We encourage you to share the information and resources we’ve provided with your partners and stakeholders and encourage their participation in this movement to significantly expand Apprenticeship in the U.S. Please let your BFF, Julie or Ryan know if you have any questions. Thanks everyone!For more information, be sure to download the documents below, which include a TAACCCT Information Sheet and a Suggested Message to Partners and Stakeholders:

If you missed the IMCP communities webinar hosted by the Manufacturing Alliance of Communities on March 11, look for the presentation to be posted here soon.

Meanwhile, here's the latest from Julie Wenah:

Long Term Planning: EDA has mapped out what the rest of Fiscal Year 15 and Fiscal Year 16 will look like. Their main goals:

Ensure there are federal funding opportunities for communities with preference

Ensure communities are receiving the highest level of service form their IMCP Federal Points of Contact (BFF’s)

Federal Funding Opportunities: Charlie and Julie have completed a preliminary list of FFO’s, but it still needs to confirmed by all the aligned federal agencies. Meanwhile, you should be aware that EDAP is a grant that doesn’t accept a preference, but the fact that you have an IMCP designation shows your community already has a sound economic development strategy, which gives you an advantage. IMCP Recertification: Julie thanked the regions for the draft proposal we sent them. They are working with their metrics team to create a coherent process that is both quantitative and qualitative. Look for a draft for input by the end of the year.Education and Outreach: EDA headquarters places a high priority on education and outreach. Some the organizations they work closely with are IEDC and NADO, so she urges us to use them as a resource or to directly contact EDA’s Stakeholder Engagement Special Advisor, Nathan Ohle.Julie emphasized that EDA wants to ensure IMCP regions have access to all the accurate federal funding opportunities available and are being provided with the highest level of service from your federal points of contact. It’s also key for you to be looped in with your EDA Regional Directors so you can use them as a resource, since they more closely understand local community needs.Please Reach Out!If you are not getting the help you need from your Point of Contact, EDA needs to know. Contact Julie Wenah or Ryan Hedgepeth.